The present invention relates to communication across a network in accordance with a protocol, and more particularly to systems and methods for employing minimal resources to provide a partial implementation of the protocol.
With the continued growth of the Internet, a great deal of attention is focused on the potential applications of broadband communication services for businesses and residences. Ubiquitous video conferencing, video on demand services that allow any movie to be watched anywhere at any time, and increasingly realistic network games are all envisioned. All of these applications involve very high-speed transmission of data between devices that incorporate very fast processors and ample memory resources.
However, there is also great potential utility in providing Internet access to appliances such as thermostats, hot water heaters, burglar alarms, light switches, etc. With the advent of inexpensive integrated circuits, these appliances often include processing capability in the form of low-cost microcontrollers. Such microcontrollers may operate at relatively low speeds and may incorporate less than 1 K of RAM and less than 64K of ROM.
It would be desirable to provide Internet access to such appliances. For example, one could, prior to coming home, set a desired house temperature and turn on an exterior light. A security company could readily monitor a large number of widely dispersed proximity sensors from a central location. There are also factory applications such as turning conveyer belts on and off. It would be especially desirable to accomplish all of these functions by accessing web pages. These requirements lead directly to the desirability of implementing Internet protocols such as TCP/IP and HTTP on the already ubiquitous microcontrollers.
A problem arises in that the full implementation of protocols such as TCP/IP and HTTP is in fact quite complex and beyond the memory and processing resources of low cost microcontrollers as are found in thermostats, burglar alarms, etc. What is needed are systems and methods for providing Internet capability to devices that do not incorporate sufficient processing power and/or memory resources.